Family of Houston teen killed by officer try for indictment again

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HOUSTON -- Now that the grand jury selection process has changed, Jonathen Santellana's family is trying for justice again.

The 17-year-old was killed by an off-duty Navasota police officer in 2013. Civil rights attorney Randall Kallinen says Officer Rey Garza was the aggressor—that he approached Jonathan with a weapon-in-hand, leading the teen to believe he was about to get robbed.

Kalinen says Santellana—who was in his car—tried to drive away but the officer started firing shots, one of which was deadly.

Now with the help of the Greater Houston Coalition for Justice, the family is bypassing the Harris County District Attorney's Office and trying to get charges to stick. The grand jury selection process has changed since the first go-round, so they say it's worth a second chance.

“For one, I feel like I owe this to my son,” says the victim’s father, Joseph Santellana.

For their part, authorities said a while back that Garza noticed suspicious drug activity, and he was almost run over when he tried to check it out—that he fired those shots in self-defense.